Outcomes of SkillsFuture training programmes

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Yip Hon Weng, Yio Chu Kang

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) of those who attended the SkillsFuture training programmes in the past year, how many have successfully procured work related to their course; and (b) what efforts does the Ministry take to measure the outcomes of these training programmes.

Response

1. In 2019, almost 7,000 job placements were achieved through the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) and Work-Study programmes provided by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). These were Place-and-Train programmes where employment was secured before training. Another 2,400 placements were achieved through Train-and-Place programmes in 2019, where trainees received assistance from the training providers upon completion of the course.

2. As part of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to support jobseekers, we are significantly scaling up the training capacity of programmes with placement outcomes in mind. In 2020, we are offering up to 20,000 training places under the SGUnited Skills programme and another 10,000 places under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training programme.

3. These are a subset of SkillsFuture programmes, which are designed to meet the diverse training needs of Singaporeans. There are also many shorter training courses which enable working adults to better equip themselves for their present and future jobs.

4. To measure the outcome of these training programmes, SSG conducts both post-course surveys on the course quality as well as programme-specific surveys such as the Work-Study Programme Outcomes Survey. The latter collects data such as employment and retention rates, as well as wage outcomes of the graduates. In 2019, 87% of the surveyed graduates were employed in full-time jobs within six months after completing the Work-Study Programme.

5. Follow-up surveys are also conducted with trainees six months after completion of the SSG-funded courses to ascertain post-training outcomes. More than 80% of the trainees surveyed in 2019 indicated that they were able to perform better at work after undergoing SkillsFuture training.

6. We will continue to monitor the outcomes of SkillsFuture training and adapt these programmes to meet the upskilling and reskilling needs of Singaporeans.